Pasadena’s Black History Festival becomes beacon of healing for Eaton fire survivors

Walt Butler has no plans to slow down.

“If you rest too much, you just become lethargic,” the Pasadena sports icon said while handing out custom T-shirts to kids at his booth at the 2026 Black History Festival on Saturday. And the 84-year-old has so much more he wants to do.

“We just need to do more for others,” Butler said. “Some of the things that I want to do is try to help little kids to become more economically inclined to manage their own money. Stop wasting it all and look for the future. These knucklehead kids, they are our future, you know.”

The grand marshal of the festival, Butler, who lost his longtime home in Altadena in last year’s Eaton fire, embodies the event’s theme of passing the baton to the next generation. He’s known in the community both for his high school and college track-and-field career, as well as his work advocating for learning and helping those in need. In between chatting up attendees who’d alternately rib him for his age and call him “a perfect role model,” Butler spoke about his hope of getting more kids to attend church regularly and to help the local unhoused community.

“People need … a chance to give [themselves] a fair chance,” Butler said. “And if we give ourselves a fair chance, we have less time to mistreat others.”

Held at Robinson Park in Pasadena, the 44th Black History Festival was a celebration of community and resilience as people continue to recover and move forward in the aftermath of last year’s Eaton fire, according to the city’s announcement.

Musical performances on the entertainment stage kept things lively. There were also moments of recognition for figures such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson and his civil rights advocacy, including his push to integrate the leadership of the Tournament of Roses. Jackson died Feb. 17 at age 84.

Candace Lacy, with Victory Bible Church, sings at the 2026 Black History Festival in in Pasadena.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Among the booths for vendors, public service organizations and libraries were those dedicated to educating and celebrating local Black history, such as “Amplify,” an oral history documentary about those displaced by the construction of the 710 Freeway.

Basirah Olawale, a Pasadena resident attending the festival for the first time, said she wanted to bring her young children to the event to “expose them to more of our culture.”

“Representation” is important, she added.

“It’s nice to be in a place where we’re celebrating Black History Month and be with the community,” said Shanika Honeycutt, another first-time attendee.